Metroid Created The Formula, But Now It Faces The Same Uphill Battle As Everyone Else

The original Metroid and Castlevania both turn 40 years old this fall. As the two series most responsible for creating the "metroidvania," we're taking this occasion to take a comprehensive view of the popular genre. This is Metroidvania Week. Samus steps into a room she has seen before. She has just regained the Morph Ball ability, opening a path that was previously out of reach, and turns around to retrace her steps. Then the door slams shut and a massive humanoid drone corners her. The familiar room becomes a trap as the bounty hunter scrambles to remember the layout, find an escape route, and survive an enemy she can't yet defeat. It's a perfect example of how Metroid Dread takes one of the defining ideas of the metroidvania genre, returning to places you've already explored, and makes it feel dangerous again. For nearly 40 years, Metroid has built its identity around backtracking, but Nintendo has been backtracking into the genre it helped create. The metroidvania formula has spent decades evolving beyond its origins, forcing Nintendo to find new ways to keep up with the games it inspired. The genre explosion has created a challenge for Nintendo. Its familiar characters and u…